


Back Again

by polyoptigon17



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Male Friendship, Starvation, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-04
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-19 01:25:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4727531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polyoptigon17/pseuds/polyoptigon17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No matter how much Sanji wanted to deny it, he was back. Back on that damned rock that he’d nearly starved to death on as a kid.  He didn’t know how it happened, how one moment they could be in the New World and then back in East Blue on this rock, but it happened. And to make things worse, Zoro was there too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everybody! So this story is based after Fishman Island but before Punk Hazard, and it’ll be in 3rd person POV. And I'll make sure to update at least once a week. I hope you like it! :)  
> Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters

After leaving Fishman Island, travel had been nothing but clear skies and calm waters with a light breeze for the Strawhats. So Nami decided to use this time of peace to take a relaxing nap, and she realized why Zoro did it so often. She hadn’t even realized how much she’d needed this. But her nap was very rudely interrupted by the sudden lurching of the boat. Squealing, she fell off her lawn chair. Nami was about to yell at someone for this when she saw Sanji run up to her.

“Are you okay Nami-swan?” Sanji helped her to her feet.

“Yeah,” she frowned, looking up at the dark clouds blanketing the sky. Large waves, ten times the size of their ship, rocked the Thousand Sunny and menacing thunder rumbled above as large gusts of wind nearly knocked the Strawhat Pirates over. How could she not have noticed this storm? She should have been more alert, especially considering how fickle the Grand Line could be with weather.

“This storm just came out of nowhere,” Sanji stated, helping her gain her balance on the rocking ship.

“Okay. Everyone, start securing everything to the boat and hoist the sails! Franky, turn the boat away from the waves,” she called over the wind.

“Aye!” the crew scrambled around the deck following her instructions. In seconds, the storm had gotten even worse as things tended to in the New World. After following Nami’s orders, they all retreated to the galley to wait out the storm. All except for two people who were finishing up securing some things.

“What the hell marimo, did losing an eye make you completely blind?” Sanji growled after the swordsman had bumped into him. 

“You’re the one who got in my way shit cook!” Zoro glared at his rival, dropping the crate he was supposed to be securing to the deck.

“I wasn’t even near you, I was just trying to do as Nami-san asked!” Sanji huffed, sucking in a breath from his cigarette and blowing the smoke into Zoro’s face.

“What the hell do you think I was doing!?” Zoro growled, coughing a little from the smoke.

“Shitty marimo!”

“Idiot pervert!” Their swapping of insults soon escalated into a brawl as usual.

“Guys get in here!” Ussop called, poking his head out the galley.

“Stay out of this!” Zoro snapped, sending Ussop squeaking back into the galley. Zoro and Sanji continued their argument each trying to land a hit only to be blocked until a large waved splashed over the deck, sending them both sprawling to the ground. Before they could recover, another wave slammed into the ship washing them over the railing into the torrential sea.  
They were both swearing under their breaths as they tried to stay above the water, but the storm was too strong and kept dragging them back under. Every time they tried to come up a wave knocked them back down, sending them deeper and deeper. Their lungs burned at the effort of holding their breath as they slowly began to lose consciousness.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
“Hey, where are Zoro and Sanji?” Luffy asked, frowning and tilting his head to the side. The whole crew was silent until Ussop spoke up hesitantly.

“I think they’re still on the deck,” Ussop said, nervously glancing at the door, wondering what was taking them so long.

“What if they fell overboard!?” Chopper gasped.

“They would drown to death and be at the bottom of the ocean, or maybe eaten by a seaking,” Robin said morbidly.

“I’m sure they’re fine, they’ll come in any moment now,” Nami waved off Chopper’s worries, shooting Robin a glare. A few minutes passed and the apprehension in the room grew.

“M-maybe they went below deck?” Ussop suggested. Luffy walked across the room to the door with a serious look on his face and opened it, poking his head outside. The rest of the crew followed and looked out the door. Nothing.

“What if they really did fall overboard...” Brook muttered.

“They’re fine,” Nami assured them. There was no way, they weren’t that stupid.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
The first thing Sanji noticed when he woke up was rocks digging into his back from where he lay. He could also feel the harsh sun burning against his face. He sat up then slowly opened his eyes but had to wait a few moments for his vision to come into focus. He felt his heart stop. 

“No....” he murmured, his eyes widening. He jumped to his feet, but suddenly felt lightheaded and stumbled back a few steps before regaining his balance.

“No way, dammit!” he swore grinding his teeth. “This can’t be happening, not again,” he whispered. A feeling of nausea swept over him, forcing him to take a sharp breath. This couldn’t be happening to him.

“Hey, cook. What’s your problem?” Zoro asked. Sanji froze, quickly controlling his expression. ‘Zoro is here too?’ he turned to the side to look at the swordsman who was sitting up a few feet away.

“It’s nothing...” he clenched his fists, trying to force himself to calm down. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he was back. Back on that damned rock that he’d nearly starved to death on as a kid. He didn’t know how it happened, how one moment they could be in the New World and then back in East Blue on this rock, but it happened. There was no mistaking this place. Waters nearly as calm as the Calm Belt. No fish, or birds, or any other animal in sight. Completely desolate.

“Where are we?” Zoro grumbled, standing up and looking around the empty rocky island.

And not only was he back on this island, but now Zoro had to be here too. The marimo may be irritating, but that didn’t mean Sanji wanted him to starve. He wouldn’t wish that fate on even his worst enemies, and certainly not on one of his nakama.

“Oi, cook,” Zoro growled.

“What?” Sanji snapped, broken from his thoughts. Zoro was looking at him with an almost scrutinizing gaze but then it changed into a glare.

“This is your fault.”

“Excuse me?” Sanji hissed, eyes narrowing.

“You’re the one who wouldn’t tie stuff down so we could get in the galley,” Zoro crossed his arms over his chest.

“I was trying to! You got in my way shitty swordsman.”

“You get in fights over nothing ero-cook.”

“Hypocrite,” Sanji scoffed, turning away again. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a cigarette, placing it between his lips. He took out his lighter and lit up, inhaling a breath of smoke. There was too much on his mind to argue with the marimo. Sanji began walking toward the center of the island.

“Hey, where are you going?” Zoro called. Sanji ignored him and continued walking, he needed to check. He heard the swordsman following behind him but continued anyway. If they were going to be stuck here for a while Zoro would need to know where this was. Upon reaching the center of the island he sighed quietly in relief. The pond was still there. This pond would be the only thing keeping them alive while they were here since they didn’t have any food.

“A pond?” Zoro muttered.

“We may be stuck here a few days, since we don’t have any food we’ll need plenty of water,” Sanji explained. He looked down at the decent sized body of clear water, the one haven on this island. He began walking back to where they’d woken up. All they could do now was wait for Luffy and the others to come.

“How did you know where that was?” Zoro asked, falling into step next to him. He gave the cook a curious, almost suspicious look.

“...Lucky guess.” Sanji didn’t want Zoro knowing that he’d been here before, it wasn’t necessary. Besides, he didn’t really want his rival knowing his biggest weakness.  
Once they got back to the edge of the island Sanji sat down, leaning against one of the many boulders scattered about the area. Zoro took a seat a few feet away.   
Sanji was tempted to tell him to go wait on the other side of the island so they wouldn’t miss the Thousand Sunny, as Zeff had told him many years back, but decided against it. When Luffy and the rest of the crew showed up, they would know it no matter where they were on the island. If they got there before he and Zoro starved to death... Sanji nearly cringed at the thought but managed to keep his expression neutral.  
‘No,’ he thought, lightly shaking his head, ‘Luffy will find us, we just need to survive until he can get here.’  
.  
.  
.  
.   
“They’re not anywhere below deck,” Ussop said, him and Chopper coming back up onto the main deck. The crew looked around above deck once again with quickly increasing worry. They couldn’t find their swordsman or cook anywhere on the ship. They were beginning to suspect that maybe their earlier fears where true, and the two really had fallen overboard during the storm.

“You’re not going to find them,” a smooth voice chuckled from near the front of the ship. Everyone’s heads whipped in that direction. There was a man, a little taller than Ussop, standing there. He had messy black hair with gray streaks and bright amber eyes. The man was dressed in a bright yellow shirt and long green pants that were embedded with emeralds. There was a black cape tied around his neck and he had a white topped hat on his head. 

“Wh-who are you?” Ussop asked.

“And what do you mean ‘we won’t find them’?” Nami snapped, glaring at the stranger.

“I am Soutsu, and I meant exactly what I said, you won’t find them anywhere on this ship,” he smiled.

“Why not?” Luffy asked, tilting his head to the side. Soutsu began to laugh, soon kneeling over and holding his stomach in laughter.

“Oh, well they aren’t even in this ocean anymore,” he calmed down a bit, wiping a tear from his eye.

“What!?” the strawhats yelled.

“Tell us where they are,” Franky growled.

“You all need to calm down,” Soutsu sighed with an exasperated look. “They’re somewhere in East Blue where I sent them.”

“Where you sent them...?” Ussop muttered, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Are all pirates this dense?” he shook his head. “I ate the wave wave devil fruit and therefore I am a wave man, I can control the waves of the ocean and where they take people, so yes ignorant little pirate, where I sent them” he explained.

“Wow, cool!” Luffy gaped. Nami bonked him over the head angrily.

“Not cool Luffy! He sent Zoro and Sanji back to East Blue,” she glared at the man.

“Hmmm? Well can’t he bring them back too?” Luffy asked, not quite understanding Nami’s anger.

“Well I could, but I don’t really feel like it,” Soutsu yawned, before breaking into laughter once again.

“H-hey, bring them back right now! O-or c-c-captain Ussop will h-have all 5,000 of his men attack you!” Ussop grinned.

“Wow, you’re so cool Captain Ussop!” Chopper, Brook, and Luffy cheered.

“You’re lying. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must be going,” he turned and started walking away towards the edge of the ship. Before he could get very far though, several hands sprouted from the deck and grabbed his legs.

“Oh! I’ve been caught!” he gasped, wide eyed. 

“We’ll need you to help us get our nakama back before we can let you go,” Robin smiled.

“Fine, fine, I suppose I could help you... or not,” his legs tuned into water and he easily escaped Robin’s hold.

“He’s a logia!” Ussop shouted.

“Bye bye,” Soutsu grinned, running for the side of the ship. Luffy’s hand stretched out and grabbed him by his cape, yanking him back to the deck.

“You can’t leave yet, you still haven’t helped us find Zoro and Sanji,” Luffy frowned. Franky walked up to Soutsu and put him in seastone handcuffs that he’d stolen from the last navy ship they’d encountered. He then moved on to tying the man to the mast.

“Very well, but it will take a while to get to them. You’ll have to go back through the Grand Line to get there, unless you release me from these seastone cuffs and let me use my waves to get through the Clam Belt,” he grinned slyly.

“No, you’ll just escape,” Nami glared at the man. Luffy released Soutsu’s cape after Franky finished tying him to the mast.

“What do you say captain?” Brook asked. They all looked to Luffy who seemed deep in thought.

“Let’s go back through the Grand Line, it’ll be fun! Zoro and Sanji will be fine until we get there” he grinned.


	2. Day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it!

Sanji took off his suit jacket, laying it on the rock behind him. The heat on the rocky island had become nearly unbearable, a reason Sanji hated cloudless days like this one. Zoro had already removed his cloak a few hours ago and was now laying a few feet away snoring loudly. Sanji sighed, draping his arm over his bent knees and resting his forehead on his arm in an attempt to block out the sun. This was their third day on the rock and already he felt uncomfortably hungry. Nowhere near the extent of starving yet, but he knew it would only get worse. The longer they went without food, the more their bodies would eat away at themselves and the weaker they would feel. It was not an experience Sanji wanted to relive, but it seemed he didn’t have much choice... He could only hope that Luffy and the others would hurry up and get to them.  
But he had to force himself not to be too impatient. The New World was pretty far from where he and Zoro where now, it could very well take a month or two to get here. Or three. Hopefully not, he wanted him and Zoro to be alive when Luffy found them, and more than just near skeletons of what they are now. Or burnt to crisps from this damn heat...

He sat up straighter, reaching back into his suit jacket for a cigarette, feeling annoyed when he noticed there were only a few left. Sanji lit up before placing the lighter back into his jacket’s pocket. He let out a breath of air, watching the smoke drift into the sky before it dissipated. He was surrounded by complete silence except for the sound of Zoro’s obnoxious snoring. Sanji hated it. The silence was one of the worst things for him as a kid, not even any waves or bird cries to break it, nearly driving him crazy. It made time seem to pass by so much slower, and along with the hunger, each day had felt more like a week to him. Even now, with the annoying marimo on this rock too, each day still passed by much too slowly for Sanji.

“Oi, ero-cook.” Sanji turned his head to glare at Zoro, who had apparently woken up.

“What?” he sighed. Even if he’d rather just ignore him, it wouldn’t really do any good.

“We should go down to the ocean and get some fish,” he said.

“There are no fish.” 

“How do you know?” Zoro frowned.

“I already checked.” And he had on the second day they were here. There was nothing. When he had been trapped here as a kid, he always thought that there must be fish if only he could reach them. But now he knew that he’d been wrong, there was nothing for miles in the calm sea.

“What about the pond?” Zoro grunted.

“I already told you marimo, there are no fish here,” Sanji crossed his arms over his chest. Didn’t the idiot hear him the first time?

“Well you’re no help,” Zoro grumbled, running a hand through his green hair and yawning. Sanji clenched his fists but said nothing. Getting in a fight would do no good; in fact, it would make their situation worse. If they were going to be here for a while, the best thing would be to conserve their energy. Without food to give them the necessary nutrients, they would start losing energy eventually and sleep wouldn’t be enough to replenish it. 

“Well than what are we supposed to eat?” Zoro stood up with narrowed eyes.

“How stupid are you!?” Sanji snapped, also standing up. 

“Who are you calling stupid you pervert?” Zoro gripped Sanji’s shirt tightly in his fist.

“The idiot who doesn’t realize there is no food on this damn island!” Sanji shoved Zoro away. He and Zoro glared at each other for several more moments before they both huffed and turned their backs to each other. Didn’t Zoro understand the situation at all? That there was no food and wouldn’t be until Luffy and the others showed up, he’d even told him that on the first day. If he didn’t understand this soon then that would only make the whole situation harder for the both of them.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
“It is quite hot out here, are you sure you can’t just untie me so I can get out of this heat?” Soutsu questioned.

“No,” Nami glared at the man. It was her turn on guard duty and she was to, under no circumstances, untie him. And this had to be the fourth time he’s asked her to do just that. So what if he was overheated? She was hot too and that didn’t mean she could go inside. No, she was stuck out here watching him.

“Please?” he pouted.

“Stop asking!” she snapped. This guy was so obnoxious... she couldn’t wait until her turn on watch was over, then this guy would be Ussop’s problem. Then she could finally get out of this heat and go get some water and maybe something to eat. She was beginning to feel a bit hungry.

“You’re pretty short tempered,” Soutsu smirked.

“You’re pretty annoying,” she countered.

“But of course,” he grinned. Nami wondered not for this first time if this guy was crazy, or at least bipolar. His mood tended to shift at random and he’d said more than one strange thing since they had captured him. He barely even seemed perturbed about his predicament.

“How long will it take to reach them?” Nami asked, referring to finding Zoro and Sanji. As long as she had to deal with this guy, she might as well get some information out of him. It would be better for them if they had a few more details about this trip.

“Are you really in any position to be asking me questions?” he sneered. Nami slapped him. Soutsu just laughed at her. Yea, he was definitely beginning to tick her off.  
“How long?” Nami growled out. Hopefully not too long, she could only tolerate this bastard for so long.

“Well... “ Soutsu appeared to be doing some calculations in his head, “it could take up to three months, maybe even longer if the weather is particularly bad,” he mused. Nami frowned. Three months was quite a while... Depending on where Zoro and Sanji were, they may not be okay for that long. But at the same time, the two were perfectly capable of caring for themselves for the most part. Usually, they also ended up watching out for the rest of the crew as well. But a worrying thought that crossed her mind was whether or not they were even in the same place. It was very likely they could have been separated in the storm. If so, it would take even longer to retrieve both of them.

“Are they in the same place?” she asked. He looked at her and began to laugh. She wanted nothing more than to knock his brains out but restrained herself. 

After a few minutes he calmed down enough to answer her, “yes, I sent my waves to carry them both off, so they would end up in the same place.”

“So you do know exactly where they are?”

“Obviously,” he scoffed.

Good, as long as Zoro and Sanji stayed out of trouble, they would be fine. They just needed to refrain from attracting attention to themselves. The navigator nearly cringed. Hoping for those two to stay out of trouble, well it just wasn’t any good. It was as if they were magnets to trouble. But a girl could dream.

“But hey,” Soutsu broke her thoughts, “they might be dead by the time we reach them, especially if they didn’t even make it to the island.”

“You better hope they made it to an island,” Nami glared at him. Well at least she had gotten some information; no matter how frustrating it was to do so. However, there was one more thing she needed to ask.

“Why did you even send that storm?” They didn’t know this guy personally, so it probably wasn’t some grudge. Though knowing the monster trio they very well may have done something to anger this guy or someone he knows without even realizing it. And while a bit crazy, Soutsu didn’t strike her as the malicious killer type, though he could just be hiding his true personality. If anything, he struck her as the insufferably annoying type.

“Felt like it... besides, messing with silly little pirates amuses me,” Soutsu smirked in a delighted way. Nami was really beginning to hate this guy. Luckily for Soutsu though, Ussop showed up for his watch before Nami had the chance to beat him senseless. What a shame...  
.  
.  
.  
.  
Zoro didn’t know how he and the annoying love cook ended up on this island, but after only three days he already hated it here. The rocks dug into his back whenever he slept which made him sore whenever he got up, the sun was especially irritating with its extreme heat trying to bake him, and there was no food. He couldn’t find anything edible on the stupid rock and Sanji had said there were no fish in the water. Zoro actually found it strange for any place to be so devoid of life.

But then Zoro realized something. This could be good training. Even though he didn’t have his weights with him, he did have his swords to train with. He could build up his endurance on this island; at least until Luffy and the rest of the crew came to get them... He wondered how long it would take them. Even if this place might end up being good for training, he could only spend so long around the annoying cook. Though he could provoke the blonde into sparring with him for even more training. But it had been three days so far and they’d only had five fights, which was strange.... Something was wrong, the swordsman realized. Typically, they would have that many fights or more in one day, not three. Sanji had seemed a bit off since they had arrived here.

Zoro opened his one good eye from where he lay on his back pretending to sleep and looked over at Sanji. The cook was staring at the horizon with an annoyed yet actually rather blank expression on his face, like his mind was elsewhere. Zoro closed his eye again. Oh well, it wasn’t really his problem anyway. Besides, if it was anything major he would know about it soon enough.


	3. Day 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to November Rain while writing this and I think it really helped to set the mood... Music definitely helps me write.  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own One Piece or any of its characters  
> Hope you like it!

Zoro was taking a walk around the island, well more like a jog. He was tired of just sitting in the same spot next to that annoying ero-cook. The blonde had been so moody recently and it was really ticking Zoro off. So, despite the intense heat, jogging seemed like a good idea. It was different from his usual workout with weights, but actually somewhat nice. It gave him a chance to think, which made it almost like meditating while training. And since both were such an important part of his swordsmanship, then why not work on both at the same time?

It had been ten days now that he was on this island with Sanji. He was hungry and, to his surprise, still a little tried despite that fact he’d only woken up half an hour ago. But Zoro didn’t care; that only meant that this was better training for him. What kind of swordsman would he be if he couldn’t even handle a little hunger or fatigue? If he wanted to someday be called the best, then such trivial things like that shouldn’t get in his way.

Despite this, he had to stop a few minutes later for a break when the simple act of breathing became too difficult. It would only be a quick one, he told himself, just a few minutes is all that would be needed. He sat down, leaning back against a large boulder, and tried to catch his breath. Looking down at his arms, Zoro noticed that his muscles had gotten smaller since he’d been on this island, but that didn’t really make much sense. He was still making sure to exercise and train as much as possible without his weights, so why would his muscles be disappearing? It made no sense to the swordsman. Maybe he'll ask Chopper when they get here. It should be any day now… 

Once Zoro was able to get his breathing back to a normal level, he pushed himself off the ground and tried to ignore the slight trembling in his knees. He was about to continue running but something caught his attention. He paused and moved closer to the strange looking rock a few feet away. It had scratch marks in it, almost looked like tallies. He counted about 85 of them, but who would scratch 85 marks into some rock? He furrowed his eyebrows. What were they even supposed to stand for? All Zoro understood was that it meant someone had been on this island before he and Sanji got here. He didn’t see any remains though, so they had either managed to get off, or had ended up in the water.

Shrugging, Zoro left the rock and continued jogging back to where Sanji was. The heat was beginning to get on his nerves, and he could always do some more training later. Besides, the cook may know something about those marks like he knew about this island’s lack of food. Reaching Sanji a few minutes later, he sunk to the ground feeling out of breath again despite the short trip back.  
“Hey, dartboard brow. There were marks, what were they?” Zoro panted slightly. Running usually didn’t make him this tired... Maybe the hunger had something to do with it. Either that or he just needed more sleep.

“What do you mean marks?” Sanji scowled at the name. 

“Scratched on a rock, there were 85 of them,” he elaborated. Sanji seemed to stiffen for a second, before relaxing again as if nothing happened.

“How would I know?” the cook said, his voice sounding almost strained.

“You knew about there being no fish,” Zoro huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I checked the island, there was none. That doesn’t mean I know about everything on this island shitty marimo!” Sanji snapped, standing up. He turned around and stormed off towards the center of the island.  
Zoro thought he was being rather defensive, even for Sanji. The cook did tend to overreact at times, but now it seemed a bit strange. Maybe the hunger was just getting to him. Oh well, he didn’t really care that much about what those marks were anyway. Yawning, he laid back deciding to get some sleep so he could get back to training later, maybe when there was less heat.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
Sanji couldn’t stay around Zoro any longer, if he did, the swordsman might find out, and he couldn’t let that happen. Even though Zoro wasn’t the most perceptive of people- aside from his observation haki- he wasn’t a complete idiot. Sanji knew that he was acting strange, but when he was this irritable it was harder to control himself. He knew that staying around Zoro while he was like this was a recipe for disaster. At least, disaster for Sanji. He was bound to say something that would give it away, and if the marimo were to find out, he would never let Sanji live it down. If the swordsman knew about this weakness, Sanji would undoubtedly be mocked about it for the rest of his life. 

Sanji sighed, slowing his pace a bit and changing direction. He just needed to stay away until he could calm down. After a while, he reached the rock Zoro had been talking about and knelt down in front of it. This was the same place where he had sat, waiting for a ship to come and rescue him as a kid. The cook slowly ran his fingers over the tallies until the last one. Sanji remembered scratching these into the rock each day, so he could keep track of how long he had been here. He’d actually began to lose hope when the food ran out, so it was a big surprise when a ship finally did come.

A his finger lightly traced over the last mark, he felt that it was noticeably shallower than the rest. By the last day, Sanji remembered he had barely had enough strength to even add the tally. Even now, though not that bad yet, he felt drained. It was made more irritating by the fact that his cigarettes had run out yesterday. He could already feel the withdrawal symptoms... And it would only get worse as time went on.  
But the worst part of this ordeal was watching Zoro, no matter how insufferable the swordsman may be sometimes, starve as well. It would have been hard enough if he had been here alone, but with Zoro, it was twice as bad. Sanji felt that if anyone in the crew was going hungry, then he was failing as a cook. Whether or not this could have predicted or prevented from happening didn’t mean a thing; he was still letting someone starve. 

Sanji grimaced slightly. He was breaking his promise to himself, that he would never let anyone suffer through starvation if he could help it. That was why he didn’t care who it was or how much money they had; if someone were hungry, they would be fed. Letting someone starve was not in his nature. But now he was helpless, unable to feed anyone, not even himself. Sanji looked down at his arms. Though not particularly boney looking, they were noticeably smaller. Zoro had also lost quite a bit of his muscle, looking thinner than usual.  
He feared that the longer they were stuck here, the longer it would take to completely recover, which would be a major problem in the New World. Even in their best shape, they still had some trouble, but weakened by hunger... they would just be burdens to the rest of the crew until they got better.

Sanji gazed out at the horizon where the sun was now setting. Moping over everything going wrong would do him no good. This situation would be easier if he just tried to remain optimistic and hope that the rest of the crew arrive soon. He stood up and began making his way back to where he’d left Zoro.

He just needed to act as normal as possible, or Zoro would find out about him being here before. Right, just be optimistic and act normal. Easy. Sanji rolled his eyes at his own sarcasm. Whatever, there wasn’t much of a choice. It was either do that or go crazy despairing over being here... again.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
“I can’t believe you; this is all your fault... Yea, I know, well there’s nothing you can do about it now.... What’s your problem...?” Soutsu muttered, scowling.  
“What are you talking about?” Chopper asked. It was his turn on watch and the prisoner had been muttering strange things under his breath for the past five minutes.  
“Well I wasn’t talking to you little tanuki,” Soutsu scoffed.

“I’m a reindeer!” Chopper snapped. He was tired of people confusing his species- he didn’t even look anything like a tanuki!

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” the guy waved his hand flippantly. Chopper decided to ignore him; having more important things to think about anyways, like the missing crew members.The doctor knew that Zoro and Sanji were strong, but anything could happen. They could get attacked by marines and get injured... Or if they were near a winter island, they could have gotten hypothermia... Or a summer island, heat stroke... Anything could happen! The rest of the crew had been assuring him that the swordsman and cook would be fine, but Chopper couldn’t help but have his doubts.

He wanted to believe them, but the doctor in him was forcing him to be realistic. Anything could happen, and if he wasn’t there, any injuries or sicknesses they got would only get worse. Without proper care, well, the two might not even be alive by the time Chopper could help them. Just the thought of it scared Chopper to the point where the reindeer was fighting to hold back tears. He didn’t want his nakama to die because he couldn’t be there to help them. If he was too slow, then no matter what anyone else said, it would be his fault. Well, then he just had to make sure that they reached Zoro and Sanji as soon as possible.

“Hey, little tanuki,” Soutsu staged whispered. Chopper glared at the name but said nothing; Nami had warned him not to talk to the prisoner.

“Hey... tanuki, listen...” the man said louder. Chopper didn’t answer. Why even bother with someone who couldn’t even tell his species after he’d already corrected him? 

“Come on, don’t ignore me...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“There’s a sea king behind you.”

“Ah! Where!?” Chopper yelped, whipping around. There was nothing, just clear skies and empty waters. The little doctor turned back around to glare at the snickering prisoner. Yea, the sooner they reached Zoro and Sanji the sooner they could get rid of this guy too.


	4. Day 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know why, but I usually seem to be in a sarcastic mood when writing Sanji, but I’ve always pictured him as a sarcastic type of person anyway....
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters

“What are you doing?” Zoro asked, looking over at Sanji with a raised eyebrow.

“What does is look like?” Sanji rolled his eyes, scratching another mark into the rock behind him, and at the twenty third one he stopped. Twenty-three days now they’d been here, and they were definitely beginning to feel the effects of having no food. Though Zoro had more muscle built up than Sanji so he was doing better.

“What are you doing?” Zoro repeated in a growl, narrowing his eyes. Sanji rolled his eyes at the swordsman’s irritability.

“Keeping track of how long we’ve been here; seemed like a good idea,” the cook stated, tossing the rock he’d been using to make the tallies off to the side. He’d done it before, why not do it now? So what if it added a sense of hopelessness to the situation. No, Sanji shook his head lightly, this wasn’t like last time. This time he knew someone was coming. The only thing to do was wait for Luffy and the others and they would be fine. He sighed, looking over the marks. Twenty-three day spent on this island had given him much more time to think than he would have liked. And there wasn’t much to distract him from the gnawing hunger or his oh so annoying company. But Zoro usually spent at least part of the day training, which left Sanji some time for himself. 

It was then, when there was nothing else to distract him that his thoughts wandered to more unpleasant topics. It was also then that being on this island felt even more like his previous time here. Lonely, hopeless, nothing to do but watch the water and wait for a ship to come. No matter how annoying, Sanji actually preferred to have company, even if it was Zoro. At least it took away the sense of loneliness.  
Though after that many days the two were really beginning to grate on each other’s nerves. It took everything Sanji had to not get into a physical fight with the marimo. But he had to restrain himself, neither of them could afford to waste what little energy they had left. They had to have some energy in case something happened before Luffy and the rest of the crew got there.

He wondered how the crew was doing, especially his precious Nami-san and Robin-chan. If he wasn’t there to protect them, anything could happen! And they wouldn’t get their snacks anymore.  
A thought hit Sanji that made the cook cringe. Who was doing the cooking? If it were Luffy, well, his kitchen would be dead by the time he got back to it. Or Brook... knowing how clumsy the skeleton was, it would not be good. If it were any of the others, he was a little more confident regarding the safety of his kitchen, but not about the quality of the food. Chopper would probably make everything too bitter, like his medicine. Ussop would make it too spicy or Franky would probably try to put cola in everything. The ladies would probably do an amazing job cooking, but Sanji didn’t feel they should be forced to do such a task. They were better than that.

His only other worry was if they were rationing the food properly. It was very important to do so in order to make sure they had enough to reach the next island. If not they could easily run out of food before they reached land, especially with Luffy’s appetite.  
This was all Sanji’s fault. If he hadn’t fallen off the ship, and landed on this damn island, he wouldn’t have to worry about this. There wouldn’t be the possibility of the crew running out of food. He shook his head. There was nothing he could do about it at this point, and worrying wouldn’t do him any good, only increase his stress. He just hoped that the crew thought to ration the food properly without him there.  
.  
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Nami pulled open the fridge with a sigh. Since Sanji wasn’t here, she and Robin had to take over cooking for the rest of the crew and today it was her turn. She gathered several ingredients then closed the fridge door. Today she was going to make scrambled eggs, toast, and pancakes. After all, who didn’t love breakfast for dinner? She popped the bread into the toaster. Then began mixing the pancake batter in a bowl larger than her head. She’d probably have to do this another three times considering how much Luffy could eat. Turning on the stove, she placed a frying pan on it and poured some of the pancake mix onto it. On another pan she began to make the scrambled eggs. 

She wished Sanji and Zoro were here. While sometimes annoying with his constant flirting, Nami actually liked having Sanji around. He always made sure she was happy and even gave her special snacks in between meals. And though Zoro slept most of the time, the swordsman always protected everyone in the crew, even if it put his own life in danger. The navigator just hoped the two of them would be okay until they found them. She’d have to add some more beris onto their debt for making her worry. While thinking, she nearly forgot to flip over the pancakes. Nami frowned upon realizing she had slightly burnt them. She was about to check on the eggs when a yell and the galley door slamming open interrupted her.

“NAMI, FOOD!” Luffy shouted, tackling her to the ground.

“Luffy! Get out of here, I’m still cooking,” she snapped, punching him in the head.

“But I’m huuuungry,” he whined, pouting.

“GET OUT!” Nami threw him from the room, closing and locking the door. She turned back to the food and groaned. The eggs had hardened into a gross goop and the pancakes had started smoking. Dumping them into the trash, she started over. How does Sanji even keep track of all this cooking at the same time? This time she managed to stop the first bath of pancakes from burning too much but only saved some of the eggs after she took a break to butter the toast and put more bread in the toaster. After much more exhausting cooking, she had three plates stacked halfway to the roof with pancakes, and enough eggs and toast for everyone, as long as Luffy only ate seven servings.

After placing a pitcher of mikan juice on the table, she opened the galley door and called everyone to dinner. The crew all rushed inside taking their seats at the table. Nami also took her seat, glad to finally take a break and eat after all the cooking she had to do.

“Ewwww, these pancakes are really burnt...” Ussop scrunched up his face after taking a bite. Nami glared.

“So is the toast,” Soutsu grumbled. He was still wearing the seastone cuffs but had been untied to eat, Chopper wouldn’t let him starve after all. They just made him sit in the corner away from everyone.

“And these eggs look kind of hard,” Franky muttered, inspecting the food as if it were some animal that might crawl off his plate any moment. A dark aura began to rise from the navigator.

“Nami, you put too much butter on the toast, this could give us cholesteryl problems,” Chopper frowned, looking at the bread that was sopping with butter. Her fists clenched.

“Well the mikan juice is okay,” Brook offered, taking a sip of it.

“It could use a bit more sugar,” Robin commented after also taking a sip.

“Ack! I think my eggs just moved!” Ussop screeched.

“Nami, why isn’t your food as good as Sanji’s?” Luffy complained.

“SHUT UP AND EAT YOUR DAMN FOOD,” Nami hollered.

“Sorry....” they all murmured, deciding it was best to listen to the angry navigator.  
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Zoro regretted his last meal. Well, more like he regretted not eating it. The swordsman frowned thinking back on it.

~flashback~

“Dammit marimo, I told you not to waste any food!” Sanji snapped, glaring angrily at the swordsman.

“I’m not hungry stupid ero-cook, besides, it’s not like we’re going to run out,” he scoffed, folding his arms behind his head. Then dodged a kick only seconds later that completely splintered the chair he’d been sitting in.

“What the hell was that for!?”

“Try not to break the ship cook-bro!” Franky called.

“You’re wasting food,” Sanji growled.

“So?” Zoro huffed. He was sure the cook was going try to kick him again but was surprised when he only scowled and turned around.

~flashback end~

He could see why Sanji had that policy about not wasting food now, and wished he’d actually listened to it. Maybe then he wouldn’t be feeling as hungry right now. Well, this was just a lesson for the future, no point in dwelling on it. He hoped the rest of the crew was doing okay. He and Sanji were usually the ones to get the devil fruit users out the water when they fell in. They better be careful until they got here, since only three members of the crew were not devil fruit users. If more than three fell in... no, that wouldn’t happen. The crew wasn’t that clumsy. Besides, Franky and maybe Ussop could each save two people.

Though he especially worried about Chopper. Although for the most part the doctor could take care of himself, Zoro always felt like he had to watch out for him. Especially when things got rough in battle, and there was no telling what could happen. Chopper was the youngest in the crew so he had the least battle experience, but he’d gotten better. Yes, he would be fine until the crew got here. Nothing to worry about.  
If anything, he needed to worry about how fast his muscles were shrinking, which wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience to say the least. Zoro really hated the feeling of his body eating away at itself, but whining would do nothing about it. He could handle it until the rest of the crew arrived, though as for a certain someone, he wasn’t so sure.... Zoro glanced over at Sanji who sat a shorts ways away. To start out with the cook already had less muscles than Zoro, but now his legs were nearly as thin as his arms once were. Though looking down at himself, the swordsman noticed the same applied to him. It would be a pain to get his muscles back... But Chopper was a good doctor, so he was sure they’d be fine. As long as they made it until the crew found them.


	5. Day 57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like this chapter! :)  
> Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters

“We’re going through the Calm Belt,” Luffy said, a serious look on his face. He and the rest of his crew were gathered around the galley table, solemnly eating their dinner. His statement was met with no complaints, only a few murmurs of agreement. They knew crossing the Calm Belt would mean trusting Soutsu –and none of them wanted to do that- but they missed Zoro and Sanji. Traveling back through the Grand Line was taking too long; they wanted their crewmates back now. After they’d finished eating, the crew exited the galley and gathered around Soutsu where he was tied to the mast. Luffy spoke up first.

“You’re taking us through the Calm Belt.”

“Finally... I was wondering when you would ask. I’m just as sick of you all as you are of me,” their prisoner sighed.

“How do we know you won’t betray us?” Ussop frowned.

“The sooner I help you the sooner I can get out of here, so just unchain me and we can be there in about...” Soutsu looked up in thought, “two weeks.” 

“It’ll still take that long?” Brook asked  
.

“Well they are in East Blue,” he rolled his eyes. 

“Well you got Zoro and Sanji there really quickly,” Chopper frowned.

“They were two people, this is an entire ship. Besides, I will need to take a few breaks,” he scowled. 

“Oh I’ll give you a break alright,” Nami seethed, taking a threatening step toward him.

“Calm down, do you want my help or not?” he feigned indifference. The crew all share a few looks before Franky stepped forward and unchained Soutsu.

“It’s good to finally get those off, they were really hurting my wrists,” he huffed, rubbing at his wrists.

“That’s nice. Now hurry up,” Nami snapped.

“Alright alright, calm yourself woman.” Soutsu was promptly knocked unconscious by Nami’s fist.  
.  
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Sanji wondered what human flesh tasted like. He was immediately disgusted at the thought, but couldn’t help his mind from pondering it. When he was trapped on this rock before, Zeff had to resort to eating his own foot. Sanji doubted it tasted good; more than likely, it nearly made the shitty geezer sick. Though how could Zeff have ever thought of resorting to...that? To chop off one’s one limb, and then eat it, must have been a terrible thing. And why his foot? Certainly, he couldn’t have even considered doing the same to a hand. Zeff’s hands were his life, so a foot would be the only other alternative. Thinking about it made Sanji wonder if the old geezer had considered eating him first before his own foot... His gaze drifted over to Zoro, lingering for a moment.

Turning his attention back to his own foot, Sanji wondered what it would taste like. How would one even go about cooking a foot, or any other body part for that matter? Of course over a fire, but what method would make it taste the best. Boiling, or just roasting it above the flame? Sanji gazed down at his foot contemplatively. Would it taste better if it were cooked whole or flayed first...? An image appeared in his mind of a large platter filled with rice and in the center, covered in barbeque sauce, a grilled foot. A shudder ran through him as he put a hand over his mouth. No, he shouldn’t think of that. Besides, one leg wouldn’t be enough to feed both him and Zoro and he wasn’t ready to lose both legs... yet. 

He was so weak at this point anyway that it wouldn’t make much of a difference. If anything he would die from blood loss or an infection, so eating any of his limbs wasn’t really an option. But he needed something to eat, and so did Zoro. If they continued on like this for much longer, they would both be dead by the time Luffy reached them... if their captain even came. Sanji sighed, wishing desperately he still had even one cigarette. Having nicotine withdrawal on top of starvation did not make this any easier, especially when smoking tended to help him forget about hunger. Fifty-seven days now. Sanji stared down at his hands, which were trembling slightly. At this point, he doubted Luffy was even coming. He wanted to have hope but he knew that was just being naive. If Luffy were coming, he would be here already. 

Sanji pulled his legs up to his chest and dropped his head, resting it on his knees. He was so tired, of everything. Tired from hunger, tired from several sleepless nights, but most of all he was tired of hope. Lying to himself every day that everything was fine and that he and Zoro would be rescued soon was exhausting. It was so much easier to just accept his fate. There was no hope and he was going to die here. Sanji let out a shuddering breath. That was exactly what he’d thought when he was trapped here as a kid. 

“This is just like before,” he whispered to himself. The only difference was that this time, there would be no rescue. This was it, he was going to die here. He was never going to see Nami-san and Robin-chan again, or the rest of the crew. And he was never going to find All Blue. But not just him, Zoro was going to die too, and never achieve his dream of the world’s greatest swordsman. Why did they have to get trapped here? Sanji cursed, clenching his fists. 

“Hey ero-cook, what are you doing?” Zoro questioned and Sanji tensed. He was not going to lose his composure, not in front of that idiot marimo. He had to stay calm... But what was the point anymore? He was going to die, Zoro was going to die. Why did it even matter?   
.  
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“Sanji, what’s going on?” Zoro asked trying to keep the concern out of his voice. The cook had been acting weird since the moment they got here, and it had only gotten worse as time went on. He thought it was nothing at first, but now realized it was a problem and wanted to find out what exactly was going on. Zoro waited a few minutes then decided to ask a different question when he got no answer.

“What did you mean when you said ‘this is just like before?’” he asked.

“...You heard that?” Sanji asked, his voice quiet and lacking its usual confidence and sarcasm.

“Yea,” Zoro frowned. He wasn’t used to the cook acting like this and it just felt strange. He much preferred Sanji yelling at him and being irritating than so quiet and weak sounding. It just didn’t suit him.

“...I’ve been here before,” Sanji confessed in an almost whisper. 

“You’ve been here before? Zoro’s eyebrows furrowed. Why would he have been here before, and why was that such a big deal?

“Yea, are you deaf or something shitty marimo?” he growled, though didn’t really sound irritated, just tired. Sanji straightened up and reached into his jacket’s breast pocket as if to grab a cigarette but stopped and dropped his hand when he remembered they weren’t there.

“What do you mean?” the swordsman asked.

Sanji hesitated before answering, “The ship I was on before the Baratie was caught in a bad storm. I would have died but Zeff saved me and we ended up on this island. There was only twenty days’ worth of food and...,” he grimaced, “I didn’t know it at the time but the shitty geezer had given it all to me. We were stuck here for eighty five days,” Sanji finished quietly. Zoro’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Well that would explain the cook’s strange behavior here, and a few other things, but...

“How is this time like then?” Zoro frowned.

“It’s exactly like then!” Sanji suddenly snapped, turning his head to glare at Zoro. “Just as damn hopeless.”

“What do you mean hopeless, idiot dartboard brow, Luffy and the rest of the crew are coming,” Zoro growled.

“No they aren’t you shitty swordsman! I didn’t think you would be this naive... If Luffy were coming he would have been here by now!” Sanji kicked out at Zoro and the swordsman jumped to his feet, moving out the way. 

 

“What’s your problem!?” Zoro hissed, glaring at Sanji.

“You don’t see how hopeless this is! No one is coming, we’re both going to die here!” Sanji yelled. Zoro stepped forward, grabbed Sanji’s shirt tightly in his fist and slammed the cook back against one of the boulders behind them.

“You should know better than to doubt Luffy you damn cook! No matter what gets in his way, he would never abandon his nakama and we are his nakama! He is coming!” Zoro shouted.

“No he isn’t Zoro! And I’m tired of waiting,” Sanji’s voice suddenly went calm before he turned and ran. The swordsman stood there frozen for a few seconds before he took off after the cook who had just ran out of his sight through the center of the island. Zoro scrambled over boulders, following Sanji with his haki since the stupid cook had disappeared from his sight. The swordsman made it to the other side of the island then froze. Sanji, who was standing dangerously close to the edge of the rock, glanced over his shoulder at Zoro. He turned back around. Then he jumped.


	6. Hurry

Zoro’s eyes widened and it took a few moments to force his body into motion. He ran to the edge of the island but Sanji had already disappeared beneath the water’s surface by then. Panic gripped at his heart.  
“Shit!” he removed his swords and tossed them behind him before jumping over the side. The cold water sent a shock through his body when he entered it and made his freeze up for a few seconds. Then he looked around hurriedly, and found the stupid cook a few yards below him and sinking quickly. He swam downwards at a seemingly much too slow pace, and stretched an arm out to his crewmate once he reached him. Pulling one of the cook’s arms around his shoulders, he kicked with his feet slowly moving them both closer to the surface. His lungs burned for air and the added weight made the trip back up even more of a struggle on his already weakened muscles. They broke through the surface and Zoro gasped for air, taking in several deep breaths while struggling to keep them both afloat. 

“Damn it!” he cursed again in alarm. He couldn’t hear Sanji breathing. Zoro swam to the rock face and looked up, it would be too hard to get both of them back up there, but if he didn’t do something soon then Sanji would die. It was then he noticed a small alcove in the rock wall a short ways away. It would have to do. He swam to it and climbed into it, dragging Sanji in with him. Zoro turned him over on his back then placed his head again the cook’s chest. No heartbeat. He swore, looking down at Sanji’s pale face that was gaining a slight bluish tint. There was only one thing to do, and if there was another way he sure as hell wouldn’t be about to do this. Stupid cook was lucky Chopper forced them all to learn this.

He tilted Sanji’s head back and pinched his nose. Taking a deep breath he placed his mouth over the cook’s and blew two breaths then started doing the chest compressions. Then he checked his pulse and cursed again when he felt nothing, repeating the process.

“Come on shitty cook... breathe,” he growled, forcing more air into Sanji’s lungs. “Damn it! If you don’t breath I’m gonna kill you,” he pressed maybe a bit too hard on his chest. He was about to start the process once again when finally, Sanji coughed, water coming out his mouth. Zoro turned him on his side and let him cough out all the water he’d inhaled.

“What the hell were you thinking you damn ero-cook!?” he snapped. His only answer was Sanji’s ragged breathing. “Hey, are you even listening?” he turned him over onto his back, but noticed he wasn’t even awake. At least he wasn’t dead. Zoro sighed, relaxing his tensed muscles. He was already exhausted from having to save the idiot, but they couldn’t stay in the little alcove for too long. If they did, the tide would just come in and wash out both of them.

He grumbled under his breath and undid the red sash around his waist, using it to tie Sanji to his back. Time to start climbing. He grabbed an area where the rock jutted out slightly with both hands, pulling his and Sanji’s weight up. Then he reached up to a small groove in the rock and moved his feet to where his hands had been. Zoro continued on like this, his muscles trembling with the effort as he climbed.  
He smirked slightly in relief when he saw the edge of the rock coming into view. Good, it felt like his muscles would give out on him any moment. He reached up for another rock jutting out, only a foot away from the top, when it broke under his hand.

“Shit!” he quickly reached up and grabbed the same ledge his other hand was on just before the rock under his feet also fell away. His hands slipped slightly. No, he was not about to fall and have to drag himself and Sanji out of the water and back up this rock a second time. With a final burst of energy, he pulled himself up enough to grab the edge of the island and drag himself and Sanji up. He crawled, too tired to even stand, and collapsed on his side once he’d made it a few feet away from the edge. He laid there for what felt like only a few minutes but in reality was almost an hour. Then he untied Sanji from his back and forced himself into a sitting position.

All he wanted to do was take a nap, but... he glanced over at his nakama. The cook’s face was a deathly pale color and his breathing was shallow and hitched occasionally. He was nearly motionless except for a shuddering caused by the cold. As tired as Zoro was, if Sanji stopped breathing again he needed to be awake to deal with it. And when the damn cook did wake up he would have some explaining to do. The swordsman grumbled under his breath about irritating blondes and stared out at the dark horizon. Zoro wondered what the hell Sanji had been thinking. He realized this must be hard for him, but to go jump over the side of the island? Sanji never seemed like that type of person to Zoro, and he usually had a reason for doing crazy things. Maybe that’s it... maybe the stupid cook had just gone crazy. Zoro liked the sound of that better than any of the other possibilities. Well, he would know for sure once Sanji woke up.  
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It had been fifty-seven days since Luffy had seen Zoro and Sanji, and he hated that. That’s why he made the decision to go through the Calm Belt. He sighed, staring at the clear water from where he sat on Sunny’s head. Nami said they would be reaching the Calm Belt in three days, and from there it could take anywhere from one to two weeks to reach Zoro and Sanji, according to Soutsu. Luffy didn’t like that guy. Once they finally found their missing crewmates, Luffy was going to make him regret ever doing this to the crew. The captain knew he wasn’t the only one missing the two, it was affecting everyone. He wished he had decided to go through the Calm Belt from the start. Not knowing where they were or how they were doing bothered him. It almost reminded him of those two years the crew had been separated. If they weren’t doing okay... he knew it would be his fault. As captain it was his job to make the right choices, and if they got hurt because he took too long to reach them, then there was no one to blame but himself. Luffy wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if they were hurt, or worse... 

“Something wrong, Luffy-san?” Robin walked into his sight, leaning on the railing next to his special seat. She wasn’t looking at him but instead gazing out at the sea.

“I wanna see Zoro and Sanji,” he frowned.

“Nami-san said we will reach them in about two weeks,” Robin informed. Luffy frowned deeper. He already knew that, but he wanted to get there sooner.

“You shouldn’t worry so much Luffy-san,” the archeologist smiled faintly, before walking off. After a few minutes Luffy grinned. Robin was right, he shouldn’t worry. He should just trust in his crewmates that they would be fine. They would take care of each other, he knew it. Zoro and Sanji were strong.  
.  
.  
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.  
~dream~

Sanji stared out longingly at the sea. Would a ship ever come for him and the Zeff? They’d been here so long already... He heard a sound behind him, causing his head to whip around. His eyes widened a bit. What was the shit geezer doing over here when he was supposed to be waiting for a ship on the other side of the island?

“Hey, what are you doing here!?” he snapped. A ship could pass by and they would miss it if he wasn’t over there to see it. The man reached out and took hold of his arm in a painful grip.

“Let go, what are you doing!?” Sanji struggled against the bone crushing grip, but froze at the sight of a knife in the man’s other hand. He thrashed around desperately to get away, but only succeeded in bruising his arm.

“I’m hungry little brat,” Zeff grinned in a hoarse voice, raising the knife up over Sanji’s arm.

“N-no, stop! Please, no!” tears fell from his eyes as he desperately tried to get away. The knife came down and he screamed. Agonizing pain shot through his arm, numbing his whole body as the knife sunk into his flesh, easily snapping his malnourished bones and splattering blood everywhere. He screamed, watching the red liquid pour from the stump that was once his arm, staining the rock beneath him a rusty hue. Then Zeff was standing over him, and bringing the knife down again.

~dream~  
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Zoro was shocked into awareness by the sound of screaming. He shot into a sitting position, and it took a few minutes for his half-asleep brain to realize the sound was coming from his crewmate. Sanji was thrashing around wildly on the ground, screaming in a terrified way, but he didn’t even appear to be conscious. Zoro could only assume it was some nightmare.

“Hey, ero-cook, calm down!” he reached out, grabbing Sanji’s wrists to try and hold him still. If anything the struggling got worse and the cook’s foot shot out, slamming into Zoro’s chest. While nowhere near its normal strength, the blow knocked the wind out of Zoro and nearly made him lose his grip. The swordsman forced Sanji onto his stomach and held a knee on his back to pin him down, holding his wrists against the ground.

“Cut it out Sanji!” he growled. If the idiot kept this up, he was going to hurt himself. He’d probably broken one of Zoro’s ribs with that kick already. The swordsman’s muscles burned, still tired from climbing up the rock earlier. Thankfully though, Sanji stopped struggling a few moments later, going completely still save for the trembles that had yet to stop since Zoro had gotten him out the water. Zoro didn’t know what kind of nightmare Sanji had been having, but it must have been pretty bad. Most things didn’t even faze Sanji, so for him to react like that... He cursed under his breath, releasing his hold on his crewmate and rolling him onto his back before sitting down again. He didn’t know what to do.

It was a strange and foreign feeling to Zoro; he hadn’t felt this level of uncertainty in a long time. Not since he was a kid. He and Sanji were both starving to death and he knew they wouldn’t make it too much longer. After the incidents earlier today and just now, he wasn’t too positive about Sanji’s current mental state. And to top it off he was pretty sure the cook was sick, or something.  
He was no doctor, but the signs weren’t that hard to read. Sanji wouldn’t stop shaking and his face was flushed red. He wouldn’t wake up either. The swordsman knew these couldn’t be good signs. The rest of the crew better hurry up, they didn’t have much longer.


	7. Finally

Nami sat in the library with Robin, looking over a map of East Blue for the tenth time that day as she sipped a cup of coffee. According to Soutsu, they would be reaching Zoro and Sanji some time that day.  
Surprisingly, their prisoner had kept his word and brought them through the Calm Belt without much trouble. Meaning they had only been attacked by about ten sea kings, which Luffy had easily been able to take care of. Soutsu had also helped keep them on track so far on their way to get their nakama.

Despite all this though, Nami did not trust him. But it didn’t really matter. They would find Zoro and Sanji today and then be done with him. Despite the frustration of this situation, the navigator was a little excited. No maps showed an island where they were headed, meaning it was undiscovered. Nami looked forward to hopefully being able to map a new place. She couldn’t wait to get there.  
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.  
.  
Sanji’s condition had gotten worse. Zoro looked over at his sickly crewmate with a frown. He’d even given the cook his own robe to try and stop the shaking but it didn’t work, still, Zoro liked to think it had some effect. Then, about two days ago, Sanji had started coughing up blood. At first, it was only small amounts, but like the rest of his symptoms, had only gotten worse. His breathing had also become so shallow that Zoro felt he had to check every few minutes to make sure he wasn’t dead.

Zoro cursed silently. What was taking Luffy and the others so long? They had now been stuck on this damn rock for sixty-nine day and he was tired of waiting. He briefly wondered if they even were coming but immediately pushed the thought away. He shouldn’t doubt his captain like that... but it didn’t mean he couldn’t be angry about how long it was taking the idiot to get here. Luffy better have a good reason for making him and Sanji wait for so long.

Then he spotted something on the horizon that looked like a tiny black speck, but as it drew closer, he could make out a few more details. At this point Zoro could mistake it for nothing but a ship. His heart skipped a beat, and despite his exhaustion, he managed to stand up. Finally, the crew was here to get them. He waved at the quickly approaching ship, even calling out a few times, but something seemed off... Zoro squinted a bit, dread building in his stomach when the figure became clearer. It wasn’t the Sunny; it was marines.

Zoro drew Wado from its hilt, but nearly dropped it seconds later. Even holding the blade up seemed to take every bit of his energy. He definitely wouldn’t be able to use his usual santoryu, so instead he gripped Wado in both hands. While not as effective, it would have to do. As the ship grew closer, Zoro stepped in front of Sanji. The cook definitely couldn’t defend himself in his current condition, so Zoro would have to fight for both of them. He would have preferred for Sanji to be somewhere out of the way, but when he could barely lift his sword there was no way he could move the cook somewhere else. 

After a while the ship pulled up along the island, thankfully deciding not to use their cannonballs. Then again, they probably didn’t recognize who he was yet. He smirked slightly. That was their mistake, and it would give him the advantage for at least a little while. The ship was too low for them to just walk on the island so they had begun to climb up the side. Good, as long as he could keep them off the island he may not even need to fight them. While Zoro was usually never one to run from a battle, not having to get in a fight would definitely make it easier to defend himself and Sanji.

The first marine’s hand appeared on the edge of the cliff’s edge and Zoro picked his foot up, slamming it down on the man’s face, sending him toppling back into the water below. He did likewise to the following marines, and scoffed at how easy this was. That was until one marine didn’t fall back down the rock after Zoro kicked him. Instead, he managed to pull himself onto the island and draw his sword.

“Shit...” Zoro muttered. He knew he could only fight for so long. Even the simple act of kicking down the marines had made him feel tired. The man swung his sword at Zoro, but his form was clumsy and he easily stepped out of the weapon’s way. Then he lifted Wado and slashed the man across his chest. The marine dropped his sword and fell back, blood spurting from his wound. Sadly, he wasn’t the only enemy though, and the swordsman noticed three more marines making their way onto the island. In a few quick movements, he had cut each of the marines but it had left him panting from the exertion. More of the men pulled them over the side of the cliff and it seemed for every one marine Zoro took down, two more took their place. 

While trying to hold back three of the men at the same time, another marine slipped past him going for Sanji. He weakly shoved the marines fighting him away and turned around, slashing the other man in the side. While he had been distracted though, one of the marines he had been holding off earlier had snuck up behind him and before Zoro could block, the man sunk a dagger deep into his side.

Zoro gasped, Wado falling from his hands as he dropped to his knees. One of the marines kicked him in the stomach, sending him onto the ground. He coughed, blood coming out his mouth, and his vision began to fade. The last thing he saw before darkness overtook him was a marine raising his sword above Sanji’s unconscious body, and he knew he’d failed.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
A rubber fist shot out and caught the unsuspecting marine in the jaw before he had the chance to bring his sword down on Sanji. Then Luffy came charging at the marines, the rest of the strawhat pirates close behind him. The marines didn’t stand a chance and it only took a few minutes to completely destroy them.

“Don’t hurt my nakama,” Luffy growled lowly. Ussop nervously looked at his captain. Despite his usually happy disposition, Luffy could be downright scary when he was mad. He was glad he was on Luffy’s side. The sharpshooter’s eyes widened when they landed on Zoro and Sanji. They did not look good... It seemed the rest of the crew agreed by their shocked reactions. He and the rest ran over to the two, watching nervously as Chopper stepped forward and quickly looked them over.

“Franky, I need you to get Sanji,” Chopper ordered, turning into his human form and carefully picking up Zoro. Franky did as he was asked, actually quite for once, and they all quickly made their way back to the Thousand Sunny on the other side of the island. Once they made it back, Chopper left them all to wait outside of the infirmary while he looked over the two. Ussop sat against the wall next to the door, looking down at his feet. 

This situation was pretty scary for the sniper. Aside from Luffy, Zoro and Sanji were the strongest people he knew, so to see them so weak... it made Ussop uneasy. Even after a tough battle, where they got many more injuries, they still had never looked this frail before. The sound of footsteps made Ussop look up from his feet to see Soutsu approaching them.

“Now that I got you, here I’ll just-“ he never finished as Luffy’s fist connected with his head, more than likely smashing his skull in and sending him flying off to who knows where. The bastard was lucky that’s all that happened to him. He was the cause of this after all. They all continued to wait in silence and after what seemed like forever, Chopper finally came back out of the infirmary in his normal form.

“So... how are they?” Nami tentatively voiced everyone’s question.

“They haven’t had food since we were separated from them, so they’re severely malnourished. I managed to stitch up Zoro’s wound and aside from that he only has two broken ribs, so he should be okay...” Chopper answered.

“And Sani-san?” Brook asked when the little doctor didn’t continue. Tears began to well up in Chopper’s eyes.

“H-he must have got water in his lungs somehow... he has pneumonia a-and hypothermia. That on top of starving, I-I....” Chopper had to take a few moments to compose himself. “He may not make it,” the doctor broke down in tears. Everyone was silent, the news like a punch to the gut. Ussop had trouble processing this. How could Sanji, one of the strongest people the sniper even knew, have a chance of dying?  
“He’ll be fine.” Everyone’s head turned to look at Luffy. “You’re the best doctor ever Chopper, I know you’ll take care of them,” Luffy grinned, patting Chopper on top of his hat. 

“Y-you saying that doesn’t make me happy at all! You bastard!” Chopper gave a small smile, wiping the tears from his eyes. Everyone else also seemed reassured by Luffy’s statement, but Ussop couldn’t help the shred of doubt nagging at his brain. From what Chopper said, neither of them sounded like they were doing too well. But Luffy was usually right, and it was easier to believe in his captain’s words than to continue worrying.


	8. Too Late?

beep... beep... beep...

A high-pitched beeping penetrated his sleep, dragging him closer to awareness. The swordsman twitched, the annoying, consistent sound refusing to let him go back to sleep. He didn’t want to wake up yet; he was still tired. But the sound persisted.

beep... beep... beep...

“Shut up...” he slurred, grabbing the pillow from under his head and shoving it over his ear, but it did little to muffle the sound. Then another noise joined the sound, a voice. It sounded high-pitched and strangely familiar, but where had he heard it before?

“Zoro, are you awake?” the voice repeated after he didn’t answer the first time. Zoro lifted the pillow a bit at the child-like voice, blearily looking at a small fuzzy figure... Then he jolted into awareness, nearly falling out of the bed he was in when he recognized who it was.

“Ch-Chopper. Wait... what’s...?” he was too confused, and tired, to even form a complete sentence. So he settled for trying to recollect his thoughts and waiting for Chopper to speak.

“We found you and Sanji,” Chopper grinned, but then his expression fell. “Y-you were both doing really bad when we found you,” the reindeer looked down. Zoro gazed around the room, an almost overwhelming sense of relief washing over him as he recognized the ship’s familiar infirmary. Finally, they were off that island. The crew found them, as Zoro knew they would.

beep... beep... beep...

He scowled at the annoying noise that once again interrupted his thoughts, scanning the room to find its source. His gaze landed on the other bed across the room. There Sanji was, and he still didn’t look very good, but at least not as bad as when Zoro last saw him. The annoying beeping noise was coming from the heart monitor the cook was hooked up to. Thankfully Zoro didn’t need one; he hated being hooked up to any machine.

“Here, eat this,” Chopper helped him into a sitting position and placed a bowl filled with a warm broth into his hands. His hands started to fall from the weight but Chopper caught the bowl. Zoro tried to lift his hands again but they wouldn’t listen.

“Slowly,” Chopper said, bringing the bowl up to Zoro’s mouth. The swordsman scowled, but did as Chopper asked. It was hard to go slow as Chopper had said, so much harder than he would have thought, and it took all of Zoro’s will power not to gulp down the broth as fast as he could. He was so hungry, and even the bland liquid tasted like the best meal he ever had. But every time he tried to take more than a small sip Chopper pulled the bowl away.

“If you eat too fast you’ll make yourself sick,” Chopper scolded. Zoro frowned, annoyed at being corrected by the young doctor, but managed to finish the rest of the meal slowly. Then he realized what Chopper had been talking about. He lay back down and closed his eyes, waiting for the sudden onslaught of nausea to pass. It took several minutes before he felt his stomach finally calming down a bit.

“Zoro,” Chopper spoke up, and the swordsman could sense the little doctor standing next to his bed.

“Yeah?” he opened his eyes, looking over at the reindeer. He had a slightly nervous expression in his eyes and took a few moments before continuing.

“What happened on that island?” Chopper asked.

“Well, we didn’t have any food so we were pretty hungry, and then those marines attacked us...” Zoro said.

“Something else must have happened...” Chopper frowned. “Sanji has hypothermia and pneumonia, and the island didn’t feel cold enough for him to get that sick.” Zoro looked away from the doctor. He knew Sanji probably didn’t want anyone to know about the things that happened. If it had been Zoro, he would have wanted it to stay a secret too. But Chopper needed to know at least something about what happened, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to help the idiot cook. So Zoro explained what happened, leaving out a few minor details.

“So he fell off the island?” Chopper asked. Zoro nodded his head.

“That makes sense. When the body is starving it’s much weaker and prone to illnesses, and the water was probably cold...” Chopper mumbled under his breath, then walked over to a cabinet on the other side of the room to rummage around for something. Seemingly not finding it, he closed the cabinet and turned back to face Zoro.

“I need to go get some herbs from storage; will you be okay alone for a while?” Chopper asked. 

“Yeah,” Zoro said. 

“Okay, just call if anything happens but don’t move, It’ll put too much of a strain on your body,” Chopper said before leaving the room. And then Zoro was left alone with the unconscious cook and the annoying beeping of the heart monitor.

beep... beep... beep...

Though as annoying as the sound was, it was the only sign of life when Sanji looked so pale and thin as though he could break at any moment. Though Zoro supposed he didn’t look much better himself, he was almost just as thin. 

beep... beep... beep...

But Zoro was awake, and Sanji hadn’t been since the swordsman dragged him from the water. The thought made Zoro wonder exactly how mentally stable the idiot cook was at the moment. He sure had been acting crazy when he’d last been awake, and Zoro wondered if he would be the same when he did wake up again. Hopefully not, he was hard enough to put up with when he was normal.

Beep beep beep

The ero-cook was always prancing around like an idiot and flirting with the girls in such an annoyingly over exaggerated way. But he was fun to spar with, and reliable in battle. And though Zoro didn’t know much about fancy food, Sanji always did cook good tasting meals. So, Zoro couldn’t really say he hated the cook, no matter how annoying he was. They were nakama after all.

Beep beep beep

The swordsman sighed, looking over to the infirmary door. He wondered if he could escape while Chopper was gone... Zoro really did hate being stuck in bed when he should be training. But right now, he felt too tired to even lift an arm, much less trying to walk or train. Besides, even if he did manage to get out, it wouldn’t take long for the Chopper to find him. And then little doctor would probably sedate him.

Beepbeepbeepbeep

Zoro’s head snapped to the side to look at the monitor which had suddenly picked up speed. He may not be a doctor, but he could tell something probably wasn’t right when the heart monitor suddenly picked up speed. The swordsman frowned, a nervous feeling bubbling in his stomach as he watched the screen. 

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeee...

Zoro felt as if his own heart had stopped when the previously steady beat of the heart machine went into a flat line, a high-pitched whine sounding from it. He struggled to get the covers off of himself, finally managing to at least get them off of his legs. He dragged his legs off the bed, planting his feet on the floor, but the moment he tried to put weight on his legs they collapsed under him and he fell to the ground.

“Chopper!” he hollered, forcing himself up from the floor on trembling arms and then managed to get to his feet. His muscles shook with the effort as he stumbled to the infirmary door, once again calling out to their doctor. His hands fumbled with the doorknob for a few seconds, then he shoved it open. The swordsman tripped out of the room, falling back to the ground.

“Hey! Chopper!” he shouted as loud as he could, beginning to push himself up again, but his arms folded under him. The swordsman swore at his uncooperative muscles, this wasn’t the time for them to suddenly give out. He shouted for the doctor once again, unable to do much more. Then Chopper came, finally, running towards him.

“Zoro, what’s going on!? Why-“

“It’s Sanji, the machine- he’s not-“ Zoro struggled, but Chopper seemed to finally hear the heart machine and dashed past Zoro into the room. Still unable to move he lay there on the floor, panting for breath and waiting for that annoying whine the machine was making to go back to a steady beeping. It didn’t.

“Chopper, what’s...!” he managed to struggle into a sitting position, bracing himself against the doorframe, to see the doctor in heavy point desperately trying to get Sanji’s heart to start beating again.

“I-It’s not w-working,” Chopper cried, tears running down his furry face.


	9. End

Sanji opened his eyes slowly, scanning the room around him. White walls, white floors, an open door in the far right corner, some medical equipment... After a few seconds he recognized the infirmary on the Thousand Sunny. Though he wasn’t quite sure how he’d gotten there; the last thing he remembered was jumping off the island into the water and then darkness. Maybe the crew found them? 

Another strange thing was that he didn’t feel anything. No hunger pains, or weakness from starvation, simply nothing. Though he did hear a strange high-pitched whining sound, it seemed faint and was relatively easy to ignore. But then another sound caught his ear that was much harder to simply tune out. Crying. He looked to his side where the noise was coming from to see Chopper standing there in his heavy point. His head was bowed, but the cook could still easily see tears pouring from his eyes, running in rivulets through his fur. Sanji frowned, easily pushing himself into a sitting position in the bed he was in.

“Hey Chopper,” he spoke up. But the reindeer was either ignoring him or he hadn’t heard, so he tried again.

“Chopper, what are you crying for?” he asked, slightly louder than before. Still he got no response other than a choked sob. The cook frowned feeling a hint of annoyance. He reached a hand out towards Chopper, but it passed right through the doctor’s shoulder. He jerked back in alarm, looking at his hand. It appeared almost transparent, and had a faint, almost ethereal glow to it.

“Shit... What’s going on?” he muttered. After taking a few moments to calm down, he slowly got out of the bed. It was then that the cook noticed another presence in the room and looked over to the doorway. The stupid marimo was sitting there, leaning heavily against the doorframe. He had the oddest expression on his face, one Sanji had never seen before. The closest comparison would be sadness, but that wasn’t an expression the shitty swordsman had ever shown. Sanji frowned, stalking across the room to the marimo.

“Oi marimo, mind telling me what the hell is going on?” Sanji growled. Zoro continued to glare into that ground with that weird vaguely sad expression, but didn’t answer. The cook cursed under his breath, clenching his fists. He was tired of whatever game Chopper and Zoro were playing; he wanted to know what was going on now. He turned around to face Chopper again when something caught his eye and made him freeze. It was him, but it couldn’t be... The alarmingly familiar figure laying on the bed had sunken in cheeks, deathly pale skin, and ribs visibly jutting from its chest. Its dull blonde hair covered the right eye and the other visible eye had a distinct curly eyebrow. So it was him, but how? He had just gotten out of the bed so how could he still be there.

Then everything came crashing down on him like a ton of bricks. Chopper crying, the marimo’s annoyingly sad expression, the lifeless looking body lying in the bed that could be mistaken as no one else but him. He was dead. Strangely enough the thought didn’t bring with it a sense of dread or fear. Instead he felt oddly calm, like all the stress and worries and sadness had disappeared. But he was still here, not gone off to the next life. And despite the peace he felt at the moment, he knew he didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to leave his nakama, or see them crying over him. The thought that he’d made Chopper cry actually made him feel incredibly guilty. It would probably be so much easier to just let go, to die. But he couldn’t.

Even if it would hurt to go back- and he knew it would, he knew it would feel nearly unbearable- he would still do it. If it would get Chopper to stop crying and Zoro to wipe that damn expression off his face, then he would go back. Though he wasn’t entirely sure how he knew how to return, he did. He slowly approached the bed stopping next to it. Then he reached out, placing a hand on his body’s shoulder. At first nothing happened, then a tingling, warm sensation began to spread up his arm and through his body. Darkness took over his vision then all at once the pain hit him. His whole body felt numb and cold, as if it were made out of ice, and a tight pain went through his chest. His head pounded with each sharp beep that sounded from somewhere near him, making him cringe.

“Turn that damn noise off...” he groaned, bringing a hand up to his head. Then he was tackled by a small figure, sending pain jolting through his chest. He cringed slightly, opening his eyes. Chopper was clinging to his shirt crying loudly, but the large smile on the doctor’s face told Sanji that he was happy.

“Chopper, that hurts,” he struggled out, talking a strangely painful and exhausting task.

“Ah, right! Sorry!” Chopper hopped off of him. Then seconds later immediately began to check him over.

“I’m fine,” he grumbled, scowling slightly at the little doctor.

“No you’re not! Your heart stopped for five minutes!” Chopper snapped, and left no room for arguments as he continued checking the cook over. When he was finally done, the reindeer transformed into heavy pint and walked over towards the doorway. Oh right, Zoro was over there.

Chopper helped the marimo to the other bed in the room then gave him a long lecture about getting out of bed in his condition. When he finished, the doctor walked back over to Sanji, holding out a rather large looking pill.

“This will help with the pain,” he placed it in Sanji’s hand, then helped him drink a glass of water after he took the bitter medicine.

“Now both of you,” Chopper shot a quick stern look over his shoulder at Zoro, “get some rest, your bodies need it.” Neither of them feeling like arguing with the little doctor, and tired anyways, they both went to sleep.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
Zoro yawned and opened his eyes. He glanced around the infirmary with a small scowl. Sanji was awake but staring at the ceiling as though lost in though and Chopper was asleep at his desk. Though he would never admit it to anyone, he had been scared earlier, and then for a while even sad. It was such a foreign feeling, one he hadn’t experienced since Kuina... But then everything had been okay, and he was surprised, but pleasantly so. Though he was a bit annoyed with the stupid ero-cook for scaring him like that, he figured it wasn’t really a matter worth dwelling on. Instead, Zoro wondered about sneaking from the infirmary. He looked over at the infirmary door longingly.

“It won’t work marimo, I already tried,” Sanji sighed. Zoro glared over at him.

“Of course he wouldn’t let you out. You’d probably just try to smoke and ruin your already messed up lungs,” Zoro scoffed, then after a moment of thought quietly muttered, “but I’m glad you’re okay...”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.” He looked towards the door again. Just because the cook couldn’t escape didn’t mean that Zoro would also fail. Maybe if he was quiet enough...

“I told you shithead, it won’t work. And what are you gonna do if you make it out anyways, train?” the idiot cook rolled his eyes. 

“At least I can train, pansy,” Zoro smirked.

“Says the idiot who can’t even get up!” Sanji snapped.

“Well you can’t get up either!” Zoro shouted back.

“Shitty marimo!”

“Damn ero-cook!”

“Both of you shut up, you’re supposed to be resting!” Chopper hollered, giving them a pretty threatening glare considering how short and adorable he was.

“This isn’t over,” Sanji hissed.

“I’ll make sure to kick your ass once we get out of here,” Zoro growled.

“Go back to sleep now before I sedate you!”

“Fine...” they grumbled.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it, please let me know what you thought, I would really appreciate it! :)


End file.
